Connections

Instant messaging has become the preferred message of communication among a segment of the political and media class that just barely missed the phenomenon in high school.

And there's a Web site, AIM Fight, that allows you to track who has the largest network of instant-messaging "buddies" -- depending on your interpretation, that's whoever is the most connected or whoever has the most time on his or her hands.

The numbers change constantly -- they're based on how many buddies a person has online, out to the third degree of separation -- but based on a little snapshot taken around 4:00 p.m. today, here are the five New York politicos who miss high school most, and the size of their buddy networks:

Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser: 46,220 Hillary aide Howard Wolfson: 39,391 Consultant Michael Tobman: 33,477 Chuck spokeswoman Risa Heller: 31,519 Mark Green aide Corey Johnson: 28,458

A notch below them, Benobserver clocked in at 20,185.

I don't have Chuck's personal IM -- What a thought! -- but four of the top five do have a Schumer connection. Other top scorers include Miller aide Kevin Wardally, political consultants Basil Smikle and Micah Lasher, Fields campaign manager Chung Seto, and Bloomberg aide Terence Tolbert. And I'm sure I've missed a few.